Interviewe mat Vlad Mititelu

I am an artist and designer who wants to blur the line between art and design by challenging our perception of how we understand a particular object.

I find inspiration in everything that surrounds me and translate that into usable artworks. My ultimate goal is to create a certain kind of objects, that are out of standard, for users who need to use them as a reflection of their personalities.

Studying and practicing art I come across with design, to which I was familiar before, but not in the same way as with art. I tended to look and explore only those areas with whom I visually engaged straightforwardly. After that, I realize how close I was to design during my whole artistic process. Since then, I wanted to try to blur the line between art and design in order to help other people see how subtly, but profoundly they connect to each other.

I want to offer people the possibility to see how transcendence can be reached through their direct interaction with materiality.

I grew up in a home decorated with art and craftsmanship and I was fascinated at a young age by the beauty of art and design. I remember admiring and analysing for hours curves and patterns in the carved wood of our furniture. I guess when I grew up this passion took over me and now I love to design.

I chose to be a designer with all of my heart.

Over the years I developed a passion for water and I started designing showers and water related prouducts. Currently I am working on a brand new collection, "Art Lights", which is a limited collection of designs which focuses on home lightning systems. In the near future I would like to design also furniture.

I guess dedication.

Sometimes good designs become really good designs through publicity and sometimes great designs just stand out from other designs.

I see good design as the future. Why not invest in the future?

I would love to design a throne for the Queen of England and a limited edition Lamborghini car.

I want to desing my own home as a total work of art (Gesamtkunstwerk).

I think key feature of my works lies in the copper wire texture which I create and use as a personal signature.

One of my favorite designs of all time is "The lobster phone" by Salvador Dali. I consider this design a great design because it triggered something in my mind and inspired me further to do my own ideas.

And of course I couldn't forget "Species" series by Patrik Fredrikson & Ian Stallard and "River table" series by Greg Klassen.

I see all of my designs great and I think the public will have the last word on this issue.

I dedicated myself an I've worked harder on every project.

Definitely an artist.

On a personal level, I believe design orbits around four main key features like: function, innovation, aesthetics and the user’s experience.

My family and my closest friends.

Support and dedication.

The most important obstacles that I wish to overcome were probably the lack of capital and personal studio space.

Exactly how they want to present it.

Currently I am working on a brand new shower project, "Taste it", which will be included in Art Showers collection and I also work on a brand new collection "Art Lights" which is a limited collection of designs which focuses on home lightning systems.

To become one of the greatest designers of all time.

Constant innovation, quality and great designs.

I noticed design is constantly changing the facade of society. As long as designers are thinking "better design" we will always improve our society.

Currently I am finishing the greatest project of Art Showers collection, wich took me over two years to develop: "The Elephant Shower". The Elephant Shower is a life size work of functional art suitable for large contemporary bathrooms.

I think the largest design projects that I have done gave me the most satisfaction because at their beginings they seemed almost impossible to be done.

I would like to see my personal input changing something for the better in design industry all over the world.

I think design has entered, some time ago, the era of automatisation and mass production.

That depends, I have designs that took me over two years to be made. In general I work over six months to develop a good design.

From the beginning with a paper and a pencil.

"Stick to my vision, to the top is the mission."

I believe great ideas sets trends and people follow.

Technology helps me at different stages of my design process, but it does not do all the work.

Until now I didn't use any software to help me in my design process. I like to keep it 100% organic.

Conor, material and ambien are three main key features of design. Without them design will be something else.

"Can I own one?"

Wow, this is colossal! I want this!

I believe in co-design, but until now I didn't had the opportunity to collaborate with any of the designers that I admire, like: Hedi Slimane, Alessandro Michele, Patrik Fredrikson & Ian Stallard, Porsche, Greg Klaassen and many others.

I think one of the most influential person is Tibi Pop.

There are a lot, I guess. Few that I remember now are: " Complete writings 1959-1975" - Donald Judd, "DesignArt" - Alex Coles, "What is Art?" -Lev Tolstoy.

In time, always working on new projects.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Constantin Brancusi.

I simply love is and it is like a dream come true. I will have more of it.

blue, beach salad, summer, love and Lamborghini.

A funny thing... apart from a couple of close people who supported me everyday, nobody believed I would become a great designer.

I always think about the ends of my projects.

Probably not, it was obvious I want to become an artist.

We would be more enlightened.

If you want to see more of my works, visit https://www.vladmititelu.com , and stay tuned in !

Studying and practicing art I come across with design, to which I was familiar before, but not in the same way as with art. I tended to look and explore only those areas with whom I visually engaged straightforwardly. After that, I realize how close I was to design during my whole artistic process. Since then, I wanted to try to blur the line between art and design in order to help other people see how subtly, but profoundly they connect to each other. I embedded this concept in my project because I wanted to let people understand the close relation between art and design through personally experimentation and engagement. I want them to create their own meanings and that will strongly make them aware of that thing that was right under their own eyes, but they could not see it at the time. I want to offer people the possibility to see how transcendence can be reached through their direct interaction with materiality.

My design studios are located in London, Uk and Bucharest, Romania. The main focus of the works which I developed in these studios are art and design related. Regarding strictly design, I am focused on creating limited series of unique and interactive products that tend to defy the boundaries between art and design with the purpose of bringing them closer.

On a personal level, I believe design orbits around four main key features like: function, innovation, aesthetics and the user’s experience, I am interested in studying natural and ready-made materials with the purpose of bringing them together in different design projects.

I like designing usable artworks that are unusual, almost surreal.

My first design was a company logo.

My favourite material is clearly the copper wire, which I like to combine with different materials like concrete,marble,wood.

Probably at night, when it's quiet arround me.

The interaction is probable one of the most important aspect of every design that I create.

Freedom and excitement.

It's like a dream come true every time.

I believe aesthetics and user experience with the object are the key features to a successful design.

First, the originality of the aesthetics.

I think that when it comes to society and environment, every designer should consider using the most environmentally friendly materials or at least design long lasting products which could be recycled after a long time period of use.

I think design has evolved and would evolve in the hemisphere of automatisation and mass production.

My last exhibition was in 2015 in Bucharest, Romania. This year I am preparing an exibition in Firenze, Italy.

I tend to be inspired by everything around me. Whether is nature or urban landscape or a musical instrument, I try to understand it and communicate with it and sometimes I've got that universal understanding with which I work.

I would describe my style as surreal design. Having a background in fine arts, I've entered design sphere because I was fascinated by this surreal approach of objects. My design style is based on breaking the idea of stereotype and common. I tend to explore the area of multiple possibilities and unusual designes.

For a year I've been living in London, UK but most of my life I've been living in Romania and I've managed very well to evolve there. At some point I felt limited there and I had to move in London to continue my studies here. I believe that every environment has is pros and cons. As long as I keep searching for the new, it doesn't matter where I live because I tend not to be restricted by the boundaries of one country.

I don't have that much experience in working with a company, I am in the process of starting my own.

Try to think "trust the talented" not "famous designer equals profit".

My design process is like a journey which I take every time I start designing a new work. The most beautiful aspect of this journey is that it never gets old or boring. A brand new universe is opening for me every single time I come up with an idea of a project. The journey of developing a design is unique and it is never the same as it was for other designs.

Speaker, phone, desk, shower, lamp.

Open my eyes, thank lord for the the day, make some coffee.

Drink the coffee in the garden while I check my email and map the day.

After that I listen to some music and start working on my projects.

In the afternoon I take a break to have lunch and continue the designing process until 8 or 9 PM.

In the evening I love to take a long bath while reading or listen to music and "dream" about new design concepts.

Try not to follow trends and just be one.

I think a designer should be fully committed to this lifestyle because for me designing is a dedication. The biggest problem for me is "where do I find the capital to start my next project" and I think this is a negative aspect of young designers. Everything else is positive because I love doing what I am doing.

"Stick to your mission."

3D view in space, craftsmanship, dedication, imagination.

I don't work with a lot of softwares, only photoshop. I use the old school paper and pencil formula and I sketch.

I don't use a lot of tools for my manufacturing process either. I build my maquetes from clay and then I life cast them in different materials. The entire process is manual.

Sometimes I need to share the tasks because some designs require a lot of time when they are done by a single person. As an emerging designer, it is quite tricky to manage time, but I always find a way.

That depends, I have designs that took me over two years to be made. In general I work over six months to develop a good design.

"Wow, how did you do this?"

I don't have a particular one, all of them were important.

Private clients, mostly.

Limited edition designs, because they are high class products.

My future plans are to complete Art Showers collection and launch two new design collections on my website. One of which is Art Lights; a limited collection of designs which focuses on home lightning systems.

I work by myself most of the times.

Currently I am working on a new shower project, "Taste it", which will be included in Art Showers collection and I also work on a brand new collection, "Art Lights", which is a limited collection of designs which focuses on home lightning systems.

I am also finishing the greatest project of Art Showers collection, wich took me over two years to develop: "The Elephant Shower". The Elephant Shower is a life size work of functional art suitable for large contemporary bathrooms.

People can contact me through my personal website.

https://www.vladmititelu.com